The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
Number 1 for 1971. Number 22 overall.
Wonderful album, better than Hunky Dory. This album feels very 'full' and complete with a unifying style which I definitely appreciate. Gotta love the classic 'Starman' (wonderfully used in the surprisingly feel-good 'The Martian', which I watched recently) with its explosive chorus and the rock & roll-y 'Hang on to Yourself'. I really love the (half) title track and the incredibly catchy 'Suffragette City' too. I'm really glad I enjoyed this as much as I did.
My Rating: 9/10
RYM Rating: 4.27 from 33,971 ratings.
Genre: Glam Rock, Pop Rock, (Art Rock, Rock Opera)
Pink Moon - Nick Drake
Number 2 for 1972. Number 28 overall.
Pink Moon is more stripped back than other Nick Drake albums but is just as amazing. Beautiful guitar melodies and Nick Drake's gorgeous vocals create a remarkably full atmosphere despite the few instruments. It's a catchy album but there's also a lot of depth in the instumentation, made impressive by the fact that it's mostly just guitar. The short and sparse 'Horn' is beautifully haunting and contrasts well with the longest song 'Behind the Sun', a melancholic masterpiece. Love this album a whole lot.
My Rating: 9/10
RYM Rating: 4.18 from 25,103 ratings.
Genre: Contemporary Folk, Singer/Songwriter, (Folk Baroque)
Close to the Edge - Yes
Number 3 for 1972. Number 68 overall.
Only three songs on this album! The gigantic near-19 minute title track is a masterpiece of prog, flowing from movement to movement, from chaotic to otherworldly, united by the insanely good bass playing from Chris Squire. There's also a nutty organ solo. What more could you want?
'And You and I' is lovely and atmospheric and 'Siberian Khatru' is a rocking prog track (pretty groovy too). Obviously 'Close to the Edge' is the best song here but the other two are nothing to scoff at either. I'm a sucker for good prog.
Apparently the making of this album was quite difficult on the drummer Bill Bruford who left Yes after Close to the Edge's release. From his autobiography: "In one instance, Bruford fell asleep on a sofa in the studio control room while Squire was "poring over a couple of knobs on the [mixing] desk" to determine how much equalisation should be applied to his bass tracks, only to wake up several hours later, finding Squire "in the same place, still considering the relative position of the two knobs"
My Rating: 10/10
RYM Rating: 4.14 from 18,589 ratings.
Genre: Symphonic Prog, Progressive Rock
Ege bamyası - Can
Number 4 for 1972. Number 119 overall.
Can's previous album, Tago Mago, had an incredible feeling of being way ahead of its time, and this album is much the same. This just does not feel like something from the early 1970s. So creative. Special attention must be given to Liebezeit's drumming which is at max complexity much of the time, especially on 'Pinch' and 'I'm So Green', those grooves are so nuanced and infectious. 'Sing Swan Song' is a strange song because to me it's halfway to being a Radiohead song, the vocals are very Thom Yorke-esque and the guitars have that OK Computer-like sound (you know what I mean). The experimental 'Soup' is also much easier to stomach for me than 'Aumgn' from Tago Mago (also helps that the experimental part is shorter) and more enjoyable as a result. I can confidently say I prefer this to Tago Mago, excellent album. Also the atmosphere on this album is just incredible!
My Rating: 9/10
RYM Rating: 4.04 from 14,790 ratings.
Genre: Krautrock, (Psychedelic Rock, Experimental Rock, Funk Rock)
Harvest - Neil Young
Number 5 for 1972. Number 154 overall.
I feel like something's wrong with me, I loved After the Gold Rush but his two other albums I've heard are just alright? I don't get it?? His voice gets drowned out in the weird overly-orchestral 'A Man Needs a Maid' (why does a song with this title need a soaring, triumphant orchestral score?) so that's fun. The orchestral songs are quite weird and don't fit but they're not actually bad songs. I like the songs on this album well enough individually but I just find this album a bit dull overall. Words is great though.
My Rating: 6/10
RYM Rating: 4.01 from 15,150 ratings.
Genre: Country Rock, Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Exile on Main St. - The Rolling Stones
Number 6 for 1972. Number 162 overall.
Well this is long. Really really long (for Rolling Stones, it's over an hour)! Cut a few songs and you wouldn't lose much and it would be more digestible. I don't really know what I liked and didn't like about it, it was just pretty good and entertaining. Very much nothing special, but perfectly enjoyable. The D side is the best side, with the most upbeat and bombastic songs, very enjoyable. In a wild twist, the first song on the album is not the best, instead 'Sweet Virginia' was my favourite song (which I think I've heard before), the first song of side B.
My Rating: 7/10
RYM Rating: 4.00 from 13,504 ratings.
Genre: Blues Rock, Rock, (Country Rock, Roots Rock, Rhythm & Blues)
Thick as a Brick - Jethro Tull
Number 7 for 1972. Number 194 overall.
Apparently this a satire on prog rock and concept albums but you could have fooled me, this is awesome. Although I think I can sense some of the satire, it hits a lot of the prog rock tropes especially in the second part, but it's really damn good. Also you have to love the flute playing.
My Rating: 9/10
RYM Rating: 3.99 from 9,744 ratings.
Genre: Progressive Rock, (Folk Rock, Progressive Folk, Satire)
Superfly - Curtis Mayfield
Number 8 for 1972. Number 212 overall.
Dis some groooovy stuff. I definitely prefer this to Curtis, particular attention should go to 'Little Child Runnin Wild' and the soothing and triumphant instrumental 'Think'.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating: 4.08 from 7,562 ratings.
Genre: Film Soundtrack, Funk, Chicago Soul, (Psychedelic Soul)
Clube de Esquina - Milton Nascimento & Lô Borges
Number 9 for 1972. Number 219 overall.
Pretty nice and often dreamy but wayyyyyyy too long for me to rate it highly.
My Rating: 6/10
RYM Rating: 4.09 from 5,970 ratings.
Genre: MPB, (Pyschedelic Pop, Baroque Pop, Contemporary Folk)
Machine Head - Deep Purple
Number 10 for 1972. Number 239 overall.
This is my first time listening to this album, a hard rock album seemingly important to the development of heavy metal (despite Black Sabbath knocking everyone's socks off harder and earlier). Deep Purple stars Ritchie Blackmore on guitar (who would go on to do better work in the better band, Rainbow), and Ian Gillen on vocals (who would actually go on to sing for Black Sabbath for a short time). This album features the famous 'Smoke on the Water', with perhaps the most iconic riff of all time. It's simple but gold and I can't help but love it even though I do like the other parts of the song more (it was also used in my favourite TV show, Better Call Saul, so bonus points there). Is this boomer music? I don't really care, this slaps. Well, some of it does, like Space Truckin', the best song here.
My Rating: 8/10
RYM Rating: 3.96 from 11,313 ratings.
Genre: Hard Rock, (Blues Rock, Heavy Metal)
Bonus: Other albums I've listened to from this year:
Black Sabbath Vol. 4 - Black Sabbath
Number 11 for 1972. Number 247 overall.
8/10
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, (Traditional Doom Metal)
Hosianna Mantra - Popol Vuh
Number 18 for 1972. Number 542 overall.
Popol Bruh
8/10
Neoclassical New Age, (Ambient, Modern Classical, Chamber Music)
Squawk - Budgie
Number 288 for 1972.
6/10
Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, (Progressive Rock, Folk Rock, Heavy Psych)
Read more about these albums in my other post: @comparestore/every70smetalalbumratedandreviewedpart3-1972and1973-3h1rd7n5ja
So that was 1972, a few letdowns, but also a few incredible albums in there. Thanks for reading! What do you think of these albums?